Making Use of My Noon Hour

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If you’re like me, you have a life. Things outside of work and writing (which sometimes seem to merge into one all-consuming work) that need to be done, and things you want to do.

And then, there’s the goal–the write, revise, publish, publicise–that’s a part of getting from where you are to where you want to be. If you’re looking to publish traditionally, there are queries, proposals, requests. If you’re self-publishing, there’s business, hiring editors, buying covers. And if you’re doing the hybrid thing… all of the above.

Every spare minute counts.

I have an hour for lunch. And sometimes, the worst thing in the world seems to be having my co-workers lay claim to that hour. To MY hour. After all, haven’t we already chatted through most of the morning? Isn’t that enough?

I’ve taken to a regimen of lunch-time oatmeal and break room coffee. It’s not a diet. I’m trying to save minutes, not calories, but I’ve lost weight, anyway.

The real problem seems to be focus. Lunchtime isn’t the most optimal writing space. There are people, of course, and the ones who talk to me never seem to be the ones who want to talk writing. And, of course, they’re never the ones who want to sit quietly and read.

Then, there’s the organization issue. I’m writing on my phone, and a folding keyboard, and I’m not talking about a 500 dollar, practically a computer phone. It’s enough for music and blog posts, but my writing software doesn’t work here.

I try different things. Working on revision. Working on writing. And now, working on a blog post. That last one seems to be the best. Half an hour in, and I’m a blog post up. That’s worth something.

Blog posts don’t require me to track down bits and pieces that are scattered all over the phone, the internet, and my email. They’re self-contained, and lunch gives them a time limit.

Plus, doing this now saves an hour in the evening, when my computer and my software are up and running, ready to keep track of the things that would wind up in disorganized pieces, if I did them here.

How do you use your lunch hour? Any tips or advice for those odd, awkward writing moments?

7 Comments

  1. Tirzah

    Reply

    I tend more to read than to write, in the tuck-away moments of life. If I do use them to write, I favor vignettes and poetry, or starts of poetry. Good poetry can take ages.

    Of course, I also sometimes use those moments to stare out the window (or whatever) thinking about what I’m writing, which is more valuable than many people would assume of such an activity–at least for people who do take the next step and actually write later.

  2. Gloria Hanlon

    Reply

    I had that exact problem today. Most of my co-workers leave me alone at lunch, and I sit with my cheap tablet and Bluetooth keyboard and try to write, but today some interns decided they wanted to ‘socialise’, i.e. pick my brain to try to futher their career XD
    So I got nothing done today.
    I like your idea of doing your blog stuff at lunchtime, I may need to give that a try.

    • Karen

      Reply

      I find that earphones–even if I’m not actually listening to anything–send the clearest message. Short of that, I can be sitting in front of a book, a notebook, and a computer, and still have people think I want to talk! Good luck on reclaiming your time.

  3. Juneta

    Reply

    I finally figure out why I was no longer getting your post in my email. I apparently put a filter on it that sent it direct to another folder, so I’ve deleted my filters and will have to start over because what I did made no sense to me, but now I get notify of your post once again.

    I used my in between time normally to read when I was at work and sometimes write in something grabbed the muse but normally I use it to read.

    Congrats on making good use of your time.

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